Even with all those recipes, I have several cans of pumpkin puree in my pantry that were calling my name. Yes. They were. Turn off the TV and turn down the radio and walk by the pantry. Did you hear them? OK. Maybe I exaggerate just a tiny bit. 😉

However, instead of making more sweets, I wanted to use the pumpkin in a savory recipe. Since I had all the ingredients for chili also in the pantry, I decided to make a vegetarian pumpkin chili, and add some chipotle peppers to kick it up a notch.

Mr. Flavor Mosaic was very skeptical when I told him what I was making. But he tried it and loved it! You really can’t taste the pumpkin. It gives the chile a thick richness but takes on the flavors of the spices and chilies. Guess what? It tastes just like chile!

I love adding the chipotles to chile because it adds a delicious smoky heat to the chili.

If you never thought you would like pumpkin chili, give this Pumpkin Chipotle Vegetarian Chili a try. It is perfect for cooler weather or game day.

Being cautious about chile heat, I used a can of roasted timatoes instead of tomatoes with chiles, and cut back on the amount of chile chipotle. The result was a beautifully bslanced,flavorful dish. The pumpkin puree adds significant nutritional value and great mouthfeel. A winner.